Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Wraps Up at the Thomas & Mack Center

LAS VEGAS

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, which ran from Dec. 7 – 16, wrapped up its ten-day run at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Total attendance over the ten performances reached 168,952.

In addition to the rodeo action, the NFR Experience events up and down the Las Vegas Strip and downtown culminated on Saturday evening. Over the ten days of the Wrangler NFR, there were 56 concerts, 37 locations that offered the live feed of the rodeo and ten days of shopping at Cowboy Christmas with more than 350 exhibitors at the Las Vegas Convention Center. At the Thomas & Mack Center, there were 120 total contestants vying for a share of the $10 million purse and the coveted gold buckle.

The action on the dirt was competitive and intense from start to finish. At the end, the following earned the title of world champion: Tim O’Connell, bareback riding; Tyler Pearson, steer wrestling; Erich Rogers (header) and Cory Petska (heeler), team roping; Ryder Wright, saddle bronc riding; Marcos Costa, tie-down roping; Nellie Miller, barrel racing; Sage Kimzey, bull riding and Tuf Cooper, All-Around.

Sold out for more than 300 consecutive performances, the Wrangler NFR attracts the top 15 contestants in each rodeo event. Under the new contract with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association that runs through 2024, the purse in 2017 remains at $10 million. Qualification was based on the 2017 PRCA World Standings.